Federal Ban on Abortion at 20 Weeks Passes House

Although the president has threatened to veto the bill, the House of Representatives voted to pass a federal limit on late-term abortions during six to nine months of pregnancy.

Although the president has threatened to veto the bill, the House of Representatives voted to pass a federal limit on late-term abortions during six to nine months of pregnancy. The bill, titled the “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act” now moves on to the Senate.

According to The Christian Post, Rep. John Fleming, (R-La.), a doctor who said he’s delivered hundreds of babies, commented, “We have such wonderful technology today that we can do surgery on a baby at 20 weeks, and we’ve learned that babies in the womb feel pain, so we have to provide anesthesia. At 20 weeks, maybe sooner, the baby can feel pain.” And Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) noted that the U.S. is one among nine countries that does not restrict abortion after 14 weeks.

Co-sponsor of the bill Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) broke into tears after the Democrats opposing arguments. “It’s unconscionable in America, where we fight for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, that we tolerate the systematic annihilation of an entire generation,” she said.

Those opposed to the bill, like Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), say that the new idea that babies feel pain in the womb is just a theory. Other House Democrats who spoke against the bill said women who are denied late-term abortions may be prevented from having children in the future.